DEVIL'S ISLAND featuring Forlorn Hope
Welcome to this weeks edition of Devil's Island! Every week we maroon a band or artist on the island and see what they get up to, how they cope with being all alone on a small island in the middle of the ocean. It's not your average desert island and we'll see just how each person copes with the extreme conditions.
This week when we arrived at Devil's Island we find Forlorn Hope sat on the beach. The island is far from their home, so how did they end up here and how did they cope with life on Devil's Island?
Find out now...
Welcome to The Razors'e Edge and our somewhat lovely, warm desert island. Don't worry about it's name I'm sure it's not as bad as that would suggest.
You're marooned here on this island, but before you ended up shipwrecked you chose one album that you couldn't live without. Which album did you each chose and why?
Chris: Iron Maiden’s ‘Brave New World’. It’s a masterpiece, plain and simple. It fires me up, makes me happy, makes me sad, and brings back some wonderful memories of ecstatic gigs and time spent with good friends. It would take me a very long time to get bored of this gem.
John: Ten by pearl jam. I love how you can chill to one song then rock out to another.
Alex: Ooh, tough opening question. I had about five albums in my shortlist for this, but I think I'm going to have to go with Judas Priest's 'Painkiller'. An absolutely flawless album that simply does not relent throughout. I don't think I could move forward without knowing I have access to that opening salvo of drums and screaming guitar from the title track whenever I need something to fire me up!
Just behind that palm tree is a shack for each of you to stay in, with enough space for you to put up a poster on the wall of one album cover. What album cover do you each chose?
Chris: ‘A Storyteller’s Night’ by Magnum. Rodney Matthews is such a unique talent and has created some absolutely stunning album covers over the years, but this one has a charm and atmosphere all its own. I think it would give me the inspiration I’d need to spend my time on the island writing.
John: The cover for disturbed’s ten thousand fists. I love the gritty comic book look.
Alex: Kamijo's 'Persona Grata' EP artwork. This might be cheating a little, but I'm a huge Castlvania fan, and long time series artist Ayami Kojima, who produced some absolutely beautiful art for those games, did covers for two of Kamijo's EP release. Out of both of them, this is my favourite. I'm a very big fan of Ayami Kojima's work.
There's also a bar on this here island. But alas each of you only get to choose one drink for the entirety of your stay. What's your tipple of choice?
Chris: A nice, peaty single malt to sip while I write.
John: Hobgoblin.
Alex: A Pornstar Martini. It's my go to cocktail of choice and I'd never get tired of it!
Your suitcases were lost when your ship sank, but you each managed to salvage one item of band merch. What’s the merch and for what band?
Chris: My Black Sabbath shirt from their show at the Birmingham Academy in 2012. Everything else is replaceable, but that’s my most treasured bit of band merch that I still wear.
John: I don’t care what band the merch is from but a bottle opener… for the Hobgoblin
Alex: My Symphony X 'Paradise Lost' T-shirt. I've had it for years and not only do I love it (gorgeous cover art) but I've played countless gigs in it, so there's a lot of sentimental value to it as well. Having hacked the sleeves off to boot, it's probably pretty suited to a warm island!
You’re sat on the island thinking “I’m stuck here on this island with my bandmates for eternity”… who would you rather have been shipwrecked with?
Chris: I would say my wife, but she really hates the beach, so I’ll pick my cat, Samantha. I’m sure she’d enjoy having free reign to explore the island and lounge in the sun, and I wouldn’t have to share my good whiskey with her.
John: Oh Christ I’d choose anyone over being stuck with these guys. But seriously I’d choose my kids and my partner. Especially my son because he could help us survive as he’s in the military.
Alex: Probably my friends Chris and Mark. I was stuck at their tiny flat with them for weeks during the start of the pandemic due to a covid scare, and if we can survive and thrive in that together, an island would be easy!
There's a walkman in your pocket, on the tape inside is the recording of the one live show that stands out for you. It could be any show, from any band, anywhere in the world. What show is on that walkman?
Chris: Turisas at the Liverpool Academy 2, 5th of March 2008. I think this was the first time I went to see a band that I had discovered on my own play live. I was 15, I’d never been in a moshpit or even in a proper, sweaty, little venue before, and it was absolutely euphoric. The energy, the humour, the tunes; I would love to relive that.
John: Can’t remember the year but when Metallica played the full master of puppets album at download festival.
Alex: The best live show i've ever been to was a four band bill in Manchester in 2022. It featured two of my favourite bands at the time, Dark Tranquility and Amorphis, who both played incredible sets. Dark Tranquility in partiuclar played a perfect setlist for me and I wouldn't have changed a track. This gig also formally introduced me to Eluveite as well, who completely blew me away. It's one of those band discoveries that makes such an impact on you that you barely listen to anyone else for months and they've quickly become another favourite of mine. I'll also give a nod to opening act Nailed to Obscurity, who I've seen twice now and always impress. Give me a recording of that wonderful evening and I'll dine out on it forever.
You're getting desperate, you decide the only course of action is to put a message in a bottle and hope someone finds it. Your message could be to any member of any band, but should be the most suitable for a rescue attempt. Who is it?
Chris: Well Bruce Dickinson has a lot of money and can fly a plane, so …
John: Bruce Dickinson… he’s a pilot. He should have connections to help us.
Alex: Bruce Dickinson. I can't think of many other band members with pilot's licenses!
You've been stuck here a while and food supplies are running low. There's only one thing for it... which fellow band member gets sacrificed to help the others survive?
Chris: If I answered that question, that person would be on their guard if this ever happened for real. I can’t afford to take that risk!
John: Alex… next question.
Alex: Probably me, if i'm being honest...
Finally, when the ship sank you each managed to save one person from the wreckage. That person is the one musician that has influenced your career the most, shaped your way of thinking and your outlook on life. Who did you save?
Chris: If we’re talking about the musical side of my life, then I think it would have to be our co-founder and current part-time drummer, Danny Kelly, for the simple reason that if he hadn’t asked me to start a symphonic metal band with him way back in 2014 I would never have seriously considered making my own music. I owe a great deal to an awful lot of people, but Danny set that ball rolling.
John: Steve Harris. He’s been the biggest influence in the way I like to play bass.
Alex: Michael Romeo has been a massive influence to me, not only on my playing or composition, but aspirationally. I love the idea of owning my own studio and having that extra level of freedom and control. Symphony X have been a game changer for me generally since I discovered them, but this man is definitely the main reason for that.
